Minimum | Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Minimum By Etymonline

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Origin and history of minimum

minimum(n.)

1660s, "smallest portion into which matter is divisible," a sense now obsolete, from Latin minimum "smallest" (thing), neuter of minimus "smallest, least," superlative of minor "smaller" (from PIE root *mei- (2) "small"). Meaning "smallest amount or degree, least amount attainable" is from 1670s.

also from 1660s

minimum(adj.)

"of the smallest possible amount or degree, that is the lowest obtainable," 1810, from minimum (n.).

also from 1810

Entries linking to minimum

minimize(v.)

"reduce to a minimum, make as little or slight as possible," 1802, first recorded in Bentham; see minimum + -ize. As "to depreciate, treat slightingly," by 1875. Related: Minimized; minimizing.

*mei-(2)

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "small."

It might form all or part of: administer; administration; comminute; diminish; meiosis; Menshevik; menu; metier; mince; minestrone; minim; minimum; minister; ministration; ministry; minor; minuend; minuet; minus; minuscule; minute; minutia; Miocene; mis- (2); mite (n.2) "little bit;" mystery (n.2) "handicraft, trade, art;" nimiety.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit miyate "diminishes, declines;" Greek meion "less, smaller;" Latin minus, minor "smaller," minuere "to diminish, reduce, lessen;" Old English minsian "to diminish;" Russian men'she "less."

mini-

word-forming element meaning "miniature, minor," abstracted from miniature, with sense perhaps influenced by minimum. The vogue for mini- as a prefix in English word coinage dates from c. 1960; minicam for "miniature camera" (1937) is an early use.

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maximum"the greatest amount, quantity, or degree," 1740, from French maximum and directly from Latin maximum (plural maxima), neuter of maximus "greatest," which is superlative of magnus "great, large, big" (of size), "abundant" (of quantity), "great, considerable" (of value), "strong, hyperalgesiaHyperaesthesia, then, is the peculiar state in which the absolute sensibility is increased—the minimum of stimulation needed...where stimuli which normally cause only a slight sensation give rise to pain in consequence of the lowering of the pain minimum...quantumThe word was introduced in physics directly from Latin by Max Planck, 1900, on the notion of "minimum amount of a quantity...skidanother to form a road were "a poor thing for pleasure walks, but admirably adapted for hauling logs on the ground with a minimum...skeletonThe meaning "of the minimum size for getting work done" is by 1778, originally military; hence skeleton crew (1891), Phrase...peak1520s, "pointed top, projecting summit," a variant of pike (n.4) "sharp point." Meaning "top of a mountain, a precipitous mountain with a more or less conical summit" is recorded by 1630s, though pike was used in this sense c. 1400. Figurative sense is 1784. Of beards, 1590s; of limitc. 1400, "boundary, frontier," from Old French limite "a boundary," from Latin limitem (nominative limes) "a boundary, limit, border, embankment between fields," which is probably related to limen "threshold," and possibly from the base of limus "transverse, oblique," which is oflowerc. 1600, "descend, sink, grow less or lower" (intransitive), from lower (adj.), comparative of low (adj.). Transitive meaning "let down, cause to descend" attested from 1650s. Related: Lowered; lowering. In the transitive sense "to cause to descend" the older verb was low (Middle

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/minimumCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/minimum">Etymology of minimum by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of minimum. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved March 10, 2026, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/minimumCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of minimum," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed March 10, 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/minimum.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of minimum." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/minimum. Accessed 10 March, 2026.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of minimum." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/minimum (accessed March 10, 2026).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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TrendingDictionary entries near minimum

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